


caught in that time, when everything was fine, when everything was mine

by tommyshepherdd (atimeforflores)



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Cultural Differences, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Probably ooc, Royalty, a mixture of Garth from Teen Titans Year One and animated Garth, accidental proposal, more on the Year One side tho, my summaries are excerpts cause im lazy, my titles are lyrics cause im edgy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10033277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atimeforflores/pseuds/tommyshepherdd
Summary: And with the movement of his hand, Roy presented him with a bracelet, unknowingly completing the last of the Atlantean courting ritual.





	1. Chapter 1

Life on land wasn’t easy for Garth. He missed the gentle waves of the ocean, the tide that would rock him to sleep at night. He missed being able to swim to his father’s chamber rooms and being able to climb into between him and Mera. If he closed his eyes while carefully cleaning his mind, he could still smell the salt of the sea. It made his heart ache. 

 

Adjusting to life with the Teen Titans was even harder. He had been alone for months when he was invited to join the Teen Titans East. He had grown into himself, with the assistance of Tramm. He didn’t say how much it hurt when Tramm chose not to follow him with the Titans, deciding instead to go back to Atlantis. Garth didn’t say how much he wanted to go with him. 

 

The team didn’t mean to alienate him, but Garth felt that way anyways. He felt as if there was a chasm widening between them. The only solace that Garth found was how near they were to the beach; the opening in the tower that let him jump into the safety of the ocean was something that he was thankful for. He ran to it many times, whether it be because he was upset that the team was eating fish again, or that he felt that he was left out of the conversations. It was his safe haven. 

 

He had shared his feelings with Karen. She had looked troubled when he finished, promising to try to include him more. He was surprised when she kept her promise, inviting him to the local fair a few days later. 

 

He’s even more surprised when he sees Roy with the twins also are going along. Mas stands on one side of Roy’s side, with Menos holding Roy’s hand on the other. For a brief second, Garth thought all three red heads were all very cute. He pushed the thought away as quickly as he could, ducking his head so no one could comment on his blush. 

 

“Come on, Snow White.” Roy snapped, gesturing for Garth to follow him out to the parking garage. “I got two of your dwarves here that need strapped in.”

 

“Can you not bother him for one day?” Karen called to Roy from the driver's seat of the car. 

 

He glared at her for a moment, opening the back door for Mas and Menos to climb in the back with Garth between them. Roy then got into the passenger seat, sinking low in his seat to sulk. Garth could feel the tension rise. He desperately wanted to run to the ocean. 

 

By the time they pulled up to the fair, Roy had finished his sulking. Mas and Menos darted out of the car, followed closely by Karen. Roy pulled himself out next, pausing to lean against the car. It took Garth a moment to realize that Roy was waiting for him. 

 

“So Fishboy, you ready for a night of fatty foods and rides that will make you up chuck those fatty foods?” Roy asked him as he got out of the car. Garth couldn’t help but notice just how beautiful Roy’s eyes were out of his mask. The dark brown eyes seemed to stare into Garth’s soul. 

 

“I’ve never been to anything like this before.” Garth shared. It was true. The closest thing was the annual parade that passed through the streets of Atlantis. It had been years since Garth had attended, however. The thought of it made something painful stir inside of him. 

 

“How long have you been wayside?” Roy asked him. Garth was genuinely surprised at Roy’s curiousness, it was one of the longest moments that they’d spent together without getting in an argument. 

 

Garth took a moment to think about it before answering, “About three years now.”

 

He gave no more than that, not wanting to relive the fight that sent him swimming away from Atlantis as fast he could. Couldn’t bear to remember the disappointment he saw in his adoptive father’s eyes. He didn’t want to share that moment of weakness with Roy. 

 

Roy let out a low whistle while tucking his hands behind his back. Garth silently admired the slight tan that the taller boy possessed. “That’s a long time to be away from home, Fishsticks.”

 

Garth didn’t speak. He didn’t know how to tell Roy he wasn’t sure he had a home to go back to.

 

…

 

They found Mas and Menos attempting to win prizes at one of the booths. Karen was nowhere in sight, but Garth just figured that she went to get tickets or food. By the looks of it, Mas and Menos had already been playing for a while when the older boys found them. The guys working behind the booth looked amused as the twins missed each dart they threw at the balloons. 

 

“You got two more shots each.” The guy told them. Garth’s eyes were dragged to the giant stuffed fish above the man's head. He thought that it would look very nice in his room. He was only good with throwing spears through water, however, something the team collectively seemed aghast over. 

 

“Give me a shot.” Roy barked, slapping a five dollar bill down on the stand. The guys behind the booth traded amused looks, before sliding Roy three darts. 

 

Unsurprisingly, at least to the Teen Titans, Roy hit every balloon he aimed for. First he hit the top row, where the balloons were largest before hitting a medium sized one and finally using his last dart to hit the smallest one. 

 

“I want the knock off flounder.” Roy told them, nodding towards the fish Garth had been staring at. Garth felt a stab of jealousy go through him. He turned away, looking to see if Karen was making her way towards them. Garth swallowed his disappointment when he didn’t find her in the crowd. 

 

“Hey, Barnacle Boy!” Roy called after him, jogging up and grabbing Garth by the elbow. Garth ignored the teenager’s hand, knowing that Roy was ignorant of Atlantean culture.  

 

“What?” Garth asked, shaking his arm to get Roy to loosen his hold. If anything, that made Roy tighten his grip. Roy yanked on Garth to get him to look at him. Garth frowned at him for the manhandling, determinedly not letting his eyes drift to the fish tucked under Roy’s other arm. 

 

Roy shrugged his shoulders and, unexpectedly, shoved the fish at Garth. For a moment, Garth would almost describe the look on his face as...bashful. “Thought you might like this.”

 

Roy turned on his heel, marching away from Garth and back to Mas y Menos from spending all of their money at the dart throwing booth. Garth looked at the overstuffed fish in his arms, noting the way stuffing was already falling out of it. He buried his face in it and stood there until Karen came to find him. She took the fish in with a smile and led him back to the group. 

 

It was during that night, through bites of funnel cake and fried chicken that Garth felt at home. Like he was truly part of the team.

 

…

 

Garth puts the stuffed fish on his bed that night, nestled between his two pillows. He had patched it up in the living room after they’d gotten back from the fair. Karen had chased Mas y Menos off to their beds, not wanting them to be up for half a night while Roy turned on some videos games to play. 

 

Garth was flinched when Roy sat next to him on couch; sure, Garth had sat in the middle of the couch but there was at least five other spots that didn’t make Roy press himself against Garth to sit in. He waited with a bated breath for Roy to begin to mock him. 

 

“Tonight was nice.” Roy said instead, “You actually being involved with us.”

 

Garth smiled down at his hands folded in his lap. 

 

“Oh!” Roy perked up, quickly reaching into his pocket, “I forgot I snagged you one more prize.”

  
And with the movement of his hand, Roy presented him with a bracelet, unknowingly completing the last of the Atlantean courting ritual. 


	2. Chapter 2

The people of Atlantis used to refer to Garth as the “sad prince”. He was described by many as a lithe little thing who barely spoke a peep, more often hiding behind the intimidating figure of the king and gazing out soulfully with large purple eyes. The same large purple eyes that had made the citizens of Shayeris look upon him with resentment and fear. The people of Atlantis, however, were above such superstitions- they were not above gossip, though.

 

The birth of the King’s biological son left both the citizens of Atlantis and Garth himself unsure of his place. Other’s began to take liberties they previously would not have taken, leaving Garth feeling unwanted in the kingdom he began to think of his own. 

 

The final straw was the argument he had with Arthur, causing him to flee into the deep water to avoid any other confrontations- Tramm the only one to follow him, having acted as his nanny since Garth was a guppy. 

 

Roy was an enigma that Garth could not figure out- at times he had seemed out right nasty, though those began to taper off as they spent more time as a team. Others he was silent and sulky, not leaving his room for days. And sometimes, just sometimes, he seemed to be almost sweet. He’d make the others breakfast, and rustle the twins hair, and compliment Karen’s leadership skills. 

 

The fair seemed like one of those days. A day that seemed completely improbable, one that seemed like a dream and left him feeling totally involved and like a part of the group. 

 

The bracelet rested against Garth’s wrist, a gentle weight that seemed to ground him. 

 

Roy would have never been able to begin to fathom the depths that that gesture had meant to Garth- or anyone else familiar with Atlantean culture. Garth couldn’t imagine anyone who had that information at their disposal- however -since Arthur was a infamously private king and preferred to keep information on his people on lock and key. Further than that, the only person who reasonably could guess Garth’s attraction to the short tempered redhead was Robin, who listened and agreed to a passing comment Garth made pertaining to Roy’s looks. 

 

Three quick knocks at his bedroom door startled the peaceful quiet of Garth’s morning. 

 

“Hey, fish for brains.” Roy’s voice sounded muted through the metal, “If you don’t get to the table, the twins are going to eat your share of breakfast.”

 

Garth tried to ignore the quickening of his own heartbeat, the roar of his own excitement-anxiety mixture that tried to take over his mind. The bracelet felt heavy on his wrist and the fish stared at him with a serious look. 

 

Quickly pulling on a loose v neck and deciding to just keep on the sweat pants from the night before, Garth opened his door to see Roy leaning casually in the frame. He pushed his hair out of his face, wishing he had time to brush it back into a neater ponytail. Instead, he gathered it atop his head in a messy bun. What the others didn’t know about royal hairstyles wouldn’t hurt him, and playing along for himself wouldn’t affect them anyways. 

 

Roy whistled, causing Garth to blush and glare at the taller teen. Roy turned away, silently leading the way to the kitchen. Mas and Menos were already sitting at the table, true to Roy’s word, putting away pancake after pancake. One had already spilled a glass of orange juice all over the table, and Karen was wiping it up. Her hair was out of her traditional double bun hair style, instead hanging freely around her face. He thought it suited her well, showing off her heart shaped face. 

 

“Glad to see you awake.” She called to Garth as she met his eyes. “You have a call waiting.”

 

Before he could protest, she had grabbed the remote and took the person off of hold. Kaldur’ahm was poking at his camera with one hand while he tried to keep a squirming AJ in his lap with the other. Tula was seated beside Kal, flicking kelp slices at AJ as he tried to catch them in his mouth. He whined each time he missed them, clawing at Kal’s hand so he could have a wider range of motion. 

 

“Arthur Junior.” Kaldur’ahm spoke gently but firmly, “If you do not behave, you may not stay to speak with-”

 

“Garth!” Tula shouted, waving widely as she realized they could see him and he could see them. 

 

“Isn’t it late in Atlantis?” Garth asked, trying to recall how many hours behind the undersea kingdom lagged. Arthur would not be happy if he discovered his five year old heir was up past his bedtime. 

 

“Mera said we could stay up!” Tula told him, bouncing excitedly on the couch. The 13 year old was as excitable as she was when he left, the years not curving that. Kal, at 15, still glowered like a champion. AJ seemed to be falling asleep now that his entertainment was distracted. 

 

“We miss you, Garth.” Mera spoke from somewhere off camera, her voice still as musical and lovely as ever. Tears gathered in the corners of Garth’s eyes as a wave of homesickness washed over him. 

 

“I don’t know what to say.” Garth managed to croak out, collapsing in the closet chair to the screen. Roy pulled up a chair beside him, throwing an arm over his shoulders and playing with a strand of Garth’s hair that had fallen from it’s bun. 

 

“You don’t need to say anything, my dear.” Mera told him, coming on screen from behind their camera and squeezing herself onto the couch beside her children. “I apologize for not contacting you sooner, I should have never let Arthur speak to you the way he did.”

 

A tear slid down Garth’s cheek, and Karen handed him a tissue. He noisily blew his nose, before going back to stare at the familiar faces of his family that he had not seen in so long. 

 

“Am I- am I allowed back?” He asked hopefully, blinking more tears out of his eyes. Roy lifted a hand, brushing one away. Garth startled, as he had forgotten that the other teen was beside him. 

 

“You were never banished.” Mera said patiently, looking particularly upset by the thought. 

 

“Oh.” Garth said shyly, leaning back into Roy’s arm. Roy tightened his grip, and Garth darted his eyes over to see that he was eating a piece of toast with one hand. He felt ashamed to keep the handsome redhead away from his breakfast, but desperately craved the affection. 

 

“Mera?” He heard a new voice call from the other side of the connection, “Have you seen-”

 

The door opened and Garth’s eyes widened as Arthur walked into the room. Arthur’s eyes quickly scanned his wife, and then his heir and wards. Then, his eyes landed on what had to be the computer that was allowing them to call the Titans East. 

 

“Garth.” Arthur greeted curly. He didn’t look any different than the day that Garth had ran away. His beard might have been a tad bit more filled in, and seemed to be streaked with a few more hints of gray. 

 

“Greetings, my king.” The formal address seemed to be alien coming from Garth’s mouth, as it was the official greeting that peasants had to use. It hurt Garth to grind it out, but he no longer felt comfortable greeting Arthur as his father. 

 

Arthur’s mouth formed a tense line, and his brow creased. Garth hoped that he would not begin yelling again. 

 

AJ had dozed half way in Kal’s lap and half way on Mera’s shoulder. Tula was staring at him and Roy with her mouth wide open. She elbowed Kal, causing him to grumble at her. 

 

“Garth?” Kal’s hesitant voice broke through the awkward silence that surrounded them. “What’s that on your wrist?”

 

The bracelet that Roy had given him the night before was suddenly burning his wrist, and all the blood had vanished from his face. 

 

“Oh.” Roy answered for him, not sensing the mounting tension between the Atlanteans, “I got it for him.”

 

Arthur’s face turned a bright red as his eyes darted from the bracelet, to Garth’s hairstyle, to the arm that Roy had around him. He opened his mouth as if to begin yelling as the connection was cut. As the screen went blank, Garth jumped up from his seat and ran back to his room. He wasn’t sure who had ended the call, but he thought he saw the remote clenched in Karen’s hand as he fled the room. 

 

He barely had the door closed and locked when sobs began tearing their way out of his throat, and Roy pounded on his door, demanding an explanation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what even is correct characterization lmao. 
> 
> tumblr is gaysupersoldiers.tumblr.com
> 
> comments give me inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> So a few notes; I've been working on this for a while, but find that i work faster when i actually post things so fingers cross. 
> 
> Pls comment, that gives me the inspo
> 
> I'm pulling most of this Atlantean culture stuff out of my ass, don't quote me on any of this. 
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr (its what i check the most and where i'll respond the fastest!); gaysupersoldiers.tumblr.com


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